After Happily Ever After
by orientalsoup
Summary: A series of one-shots that follow the lives of Tiana and Naveen after the film. Tiana/Naveen, OCs
1. Figlia del Fraggi Prutto

_**1\. Figlia del Fraggi Prutto**_

Tiana gently placed the tiara on her daughter's head, tucking the ends under her curly brown locks. Holding her daughter by the shoulders, Tiana turned her around to face the mirror.

"What d'you think, Louisa?" she asked.

" _Ashidanza_ , Mama!" her daughter exclaimed. She beamed at her reflection and twirled in her pale green ball gown excitedly. "It's so pretty!" Her smile unwavering, she traced the green and gold beading on her chest and bounced on the balls of her feet.

"Ah, yes, the dress is very pretty, but my two _pruttas_ are much more beautiful." Naveen entered his daughter's room looking very dignified in his cream jacket and green sash with gold stitching. His crown sat atop his boyish brown curls. He walked over to his wife, and, placing an arm around her waist, kissed her temple. "Is James asleep?" he asked, referring to their three-year-old son.

Tiana nodded. "He put up a fight—"

"Naturally," Naveen commented, a smile playing on his lips.

"—but he's definitely asleep now," she finished.

" _Papá_!" Louisa turned around to face her father and held out the skirts of her dress. They shimmered in the light. "Do you like it?"

" _Sí, sí_ ," he responded as he picked his daughter up and kissed her cheek. "Grandma did a wonderful job, yes? She certainly is the best seamstress in New Orleans. You will outshine everyone there, except, of course, for your mother."

Tiana chuckled and squeezed Naveen's hand. "Hush. Louisa will outshine everyone, even me. It's _her_ ball."

"But you, my love"—he put Louisa down and held Tiana out at arm's length to look at her properly—"are a vision. That is the phrase, yes?" His amber eyes took in her in; he thought she looked even more dazzling than usual in her green and gold ball gown. When he saw the gold tiara on her head and how regal it made her look, his heart swelled.

Years later, her husband still always knew how to make her blush. "Yes," she said, laughing and allowing him to twirl her. As she leaned against his chest with his arms around her, she said, "But, seriously, it's Louisa's day and she'll be the most beautiful girl in the whole room."

"Of course," he replied, kissing Tiana's head. He looked at his daughter proudly, holding back tears. "It is your first public appearance as _Prutta_ Louisa of Maldonia," he said. "It's a very important, special day. Have fun tonight, yes?"

" _Sí, Papá_ ," she replied.

"But don't talk to the _pruttos_ ," he said sternly. "You are just like me. One look and they will fall in love with you." Tiana rolled her eyes. "You're only six years old. I won't know what to do with you—or the _pruttos_ , for that matter."

Tiana shook her head. Leaning in towards her daughter, she squeezed Louisa's hand and offered a comforting smile. "Honey, you talk to whomever you like. Your _papá_ is just kidding."

"I am not!" He sniffed and crossed his arms.

There was a knock on the door. "I will get that," Naveen said, walking out of his daughter's room and into the common room.

Louisa's smile immediately disappeared when Naveen walked out. Her face paled and she began fidgeting with the top layer of her skirt. "Mama?" she said, her eyes fixated on the wall.

"What's wrong, baby cakes?" Tiana asked, untangling her daughter's hands from the dress and holding her close.

"I'm scared," she whispered, her voice trembling slightly. "I...I..." Shaking her head, she hung it low and sniffled. "Mama..." she whispered, her voice breaking on the second syllable.

Tiana attempted to kneel down in her ball gown, but when this proved to be difficult, she guided her daughter to a nearby chair and sat down with Louisa on her lap. "Baby cakes, you're going to do great," she whispered soothingly while rubbing her daughter's back. She plucked a tissue off the table beside her, and dabbed at her daughter's face. "Everyone just wants to meet you and know who you are. And you are my smart, charmin', and brave little Louisa."

"O-okay," her daughter replied shakily. Her eyes filled with tears again.

Tiana grabbed more tissues and handed them to Louisa, who blew her nose and wiped away her tears. Tucking a curl behind her daughter's ear, she said, "When I had my first ball in my honor, I was scared too. But _Papá_ told me that there's nothin' to be afraid of because he would be there the whole time, helping me. And _Papá_ and I are going to be there for you tonight, too. We just want you to be happy and have a good time, okay? Don't worry, this'll be a fun night full of dancing and music and food!"

Louisa still seemed uncertain. "It won't be as good as the music and food at home..."

"The music and food is different from New Orleans," Tiana replied honestly, "but it's wonderful." Skeptical, her daughter winced. "How about this? After you have a fun night at your ball, I'll whip you up a warm plate of beignets and some Maldonian hot chocolate."

This seemed to cheer her up. A smile creeped on her face and she conceded: "Okay, Mama."

"Good," Tiana said, chuckling. "Now, blow." She held a tissue up to her daughter's nose, who did as she was told. "Feeling better?"

Nodding—albeit slightly hesitantly—Louisa said, " _Sí_ , Mama," and slid off her mother's lap.

"Oooh, where's my little niece?" Charlotte entered the room dancing with excitement. "Oh my word," she whispered as she looked at Louisa. "You, Miss Louisa, look absolutely lovely. You look just like your mama."

Naveen coughed loudly. Charlotte waved him off, and he glared at her.

"Oh, honey," Charlotte crooned, taking Louisa's hands in her own, "I'm just so proud. You look _so_ beautiful!" Tears welled up in her eyes. She took out a handkerchief and dabbed at them.

Looking at the clock on the wardrobe, Tiana said, "We best be pushing on." She motioned to Naveen, who held his arm out to her. Taking it, she said to Charlotte, "You should get downstairs."

Charlotte squealed with excitement. "You two promised me you'd introduce me to some princes. What do y'all call 'em? _Pruttos_? You betta deliver!" She adjusted the top of her dress.

" _Mio diozo_ ," Naveen sighed under his breath. Tiana pinched him.

"What was that?" Charlotte asked as she powdered her nose and drew a beauty mark on her cheek.

"Nothing," Tiana replied. "You better get downstairs though. We'll introduce you to the princes when we get a chance."

She giggled. "Okay!" Excited, she hurried out of the room.

"Are you ready, _prutta_?" Naveen asked his daughter. He held out a hand to her.

Taking a deep breath, she took it and said, " _Sí, Papá_ , I'm ready."

* * *

 _ **Author's Note** : Hello! Thanks for taking the time to read my story! If you enjoyed it, please leave a review! I am planning on this being a series of one-shots that follow the lives of Tiana and Naveen after the film, so if there is something that you want to read, please let me know in the reviews!_


	2. A Midday Snack

_**2\. A Midday Snack**_

"Tiana?" Naveen called, his voice echoing through the empty restaurant. It was the one-hour grace period between lunch and dinner, so the restaurant was currently closed. All the lights in the main dining room were off; the sun was slanting in through the dazzling floor to ceiling windows and the tables and chairs were casting shadows on the gold tiled floor. After a while, there was no response, so Naveen headed to the kitchen.

Louisa tugged on her father's cream button-up shirt. " _Papá_ , I'm hungry," she whined as she toddled beside him.

"I know, _prutta_ ," he replied, picking her up. "Mama is probably in the kitchen, so she will make you something." He pushed open the doors to the kitchen and the cooks all looked up. "Has anyone seen Tiana?" he asked.

"No," the head chef, Jacques, responded as the other cooks immediately returned to their work. "She left before the end of lunch with Eudora. She hasn't been back since."

"That is very unlike her," Naveen mused under his breath.

"What, _Papá_?" Louisa asked.

He shook his head. "Nothing, nothing." He turned to Jacques. "Did she or Eudora say where they were going?"

"Nope, she just said she'd be back later," Jacques replied. He checked his watch and furrowed his brow in worry. "She needs to be back before we open for dinner."

" _Papá_." Louisa tugged on Naveen's suspenders this time.

" _Sí, mia prutta_ ," he assured her while he smoothed her dark brown curls. "Jacques, could you or one of your chefs please prepare a small snack for Louisa?"

Jacques shook his head. "Sorry, sir. We're awfully busy. The lunch rush ended late so we're on a tight schedule." He looked up at Naveen and raised an eyebrow. "Isn't your apartment right above us?"

"I do not know how to cook! You know this!" Naveen exclaimed.

Crossing his arms, Jacques said pointedly, "You've been married to Miss Tiana for how long?"

Naveen frowned. "All I know is how to mince! She always cooks for us."

" _Papá_ is lying, Jacques," Louisa said smartly, twisting in her father's embrace to get a better view of the food the chef was preparing. "Mama lets _me_ help in the kitchen. _Papá_ just plays with the food." Jacques roared with laughter.

"Ooh, I am going to get you back for that!" Naveen said, tickling his daughter.

Giggling, she exclaimed, " _Papá_ , _Papá_ , stop!" She flailed about in his arms.

"Be careful, you two!" Tiana entered the kitchen and shrugged off her coat, which she hung on the rack by the door.

"Mama!" Louisa wiggled out of her father's arms and jumped into her mother's embrace.

Naveen kissed Tiana's cheek and asked, "Where have you been? I was worried."

"Mama and I were talking about new outfits for the waiters," she replied. "Sorry, y'all," she said to her staff. Too focused on their work, they all mumbled greetings in response.

"Mama," Louisa said, "I'm hungry. _Papá_ can't cook for me." Jacques snickered before he began his rounds of the kitchen.

Tiana smiled at Naveen, who grinned sheepishly and stuffed his hands in his pockets. "We're gonna have to fix that now, won't we?" Louisa giggled and nodded. "How about I whip us up some gumbo before the dinner rush? Your _papá_ can help, too."

"I can do more than mincing?" Naveen asked excitedly.

Tiana put a hand on her right hip as she balanced Louisa on her left. "As long as you don't turn the vegetables into drums."

"No promises," Naveen replied as the little family went to work.

* * *

 _ **Author's Note:** I hope you're all enjoying this story! Just for clarification, these one-shorts will not be posted in chronological order. So sometimes the kids will be older or younger than in the previous story; for example, in comparison to the previous story, Louisa is younger in this one and James has not been born yet. __**As always, please leave a review!** **If there's something that you want to read, let me know in the reviews!**_


	3. Uncertain

_**3\. Uncertain**_

Tiana stood at the foot of the bed, hand on her swollen belly. She looked at Naveen, who was propped up on the pillows and writing music while his tongue sticking out between his teeth. Tiana had a look of uncertainty on her face. She bit on her lip, feeling uncomfortable. She was never uncertain, not even when she had been transformed into a frog and was adventuring through the bayou. She was always the person with a plan, but ever since she became a princess, feelings of inadequacy and uncertainty had been at the edge of consciousness. She always pushed the feelings away, but now that she was pregnant—with a possible heir to the Maldonian throne, to boot—those feelings were becoming too powerful to ignore. They were unfamiliar and awful, and she didn't know what to do with herself. She had tried cooking; cooking made sense to her. In the past two weeks, she had created ten new dishes for Tiana's Palace but still didn't feel any better. She decided that it was best to discuss her worries with Naveen instead of pretending they didn't exist. It was still new to her to have someone to turn to for help with all of her problems; however, she knew that Naveen would do everything in his power to help her and make everything right again. He was always good at that.

Putting his pencil behind his ear, Naveen looked up from his music and raised an eyebrow at his wife. "What is the matter, _prutta_?" He held a hand out to her. "Come to bed." A lustful smile creeping onto his face, he said, "I will make it worth your while."

Tiana couldn't help but smile. Taking her husband's hand, she said, "How could you possibly want me right now?"

He kissed her and held her against his chest. "I always want you." After placing his sheet music and pencil on the bedside table, he asked, "Now, what is the matter, my love? You have been looking very worried lately." Before she opened her mouth, he held up a finger and said, "Ah, and do not say it is nothing like you always do because I know it is not. Let me help you, _mia amore_."

Biting her lip, she rested her head in the crook of his neck. "I...I'm just worried about the baby."

"We have been doing everything the doctor has said, no?" he asked.

"Not the baby's health," she clarified. "The...after. After our baby's born, what sort of life will he or she have? Our baby's royalty, but we're raisin' him or her here in the States where they'll be treated just like any other black kid."

Naveen pursed his lips and furrowed his brows in confusion. Tiana continued: "You grew up a spoiled little rich boy—"

"Hey!" he interjected.

"But you're a humble prince now," she said, running her fingers through his curls. "You've gotta admit, when we first met you didn't know how to do nothin'. Your servants did everything for you. But ever since I was a little girl, everyone treated me differently because I'm a girl, I'm black, and I was poor. The life you had was so far-fetched that I couldn't even dream of it. Neither seem ideal for our baby, but where's the middle ground? And what do we do when you're called back to Maldonia—"

" _If_ ," Naveen said. "My father is young for a king. Ralphie will come of age long before my father abdicates."

"You don't know that for sure," Tiana pointed out. She sighed. "I just want the best for our baby." A tear ran down her cheek. "They're gonna have to work twice as hard as any white kid to get anywhere here. And they're going to experience embarrassment and hardship. But if we go to Maldonia, they'll take things for granted and my mother won't ever see her grandkids and they won't know what the real world is like and I don't want them to feel like you did because that's just awful and..." A sob escaped from her trembling lips, and Naveen hugged her as she cried.

Tears welled up in his eyes as well as he considered all the awful things his children may experience; he had not experienced much discrimination himself while in the States since most people knew he was a prince, but he had watched Tiana being barred from entering certain spaces due to the color of her skin. He vividly remembered the complicated process the Fenner Brothers had them endure to buy the sugar mill; they too knew he was a prince, but they had not treated him and Tiana with any respect. However, he also did not want his children growing up feeling useless, insecure, and inadequate. He did not want his children to be anything like his former self; he wanted them to be just like Tiana—strong and independent.

"Tiana," he whispered into her ear. Her sobbing quieted and she sniffled. "We will do everything we can to make sure our child is happy and healthy. We will stay right here, you and I, and we will protect our child and give them everything they need. Yes?" She nodded and he kissed her forehead. "We will love them—we already do—and make sure that their lives are better than ours." He gently kissed her on the lips. "My love, you will be a wonderful mother. Do not worry."

"But, Naveen..." she whispered, struggling to find the words. Her hands trembled as she took his shirt in her fists and wrung it worriedly.

"Do you trust me?" he asked.

"Of course I do," she replied.

"Then trust in my faith in you and my faith in us," he said, taking her shaking hands in his own. " _Faldi faldonza, mia amore_ ," he whispered. "Your hands are shaking very much." He stroked them with his thumb and her hands slowly stilled. "There. Are you feeling better?"

She nodded. "You're very good at that—making me feel better."

He kissed her temple and shook his head. "You just needed to remember to believe in yourself."

* * *

 _ **Author's Note** : Thanks for reading my story! Please don't forget to leave a review, and let me know what else you want to see! Thanks!_


	4. Louisa and Louis

_**Author's Note** : Hey, y'all! Thanks for sticking around! I hope you enjoy this one-shot!_ **  
**

 _I will be introducing more Maldonian words with each story. All Maldonian will be in italics. According to the PatF Wiki, Maldonian is similar to Italian, so all the "Maldonian" words in my stories will either be Italian or Italian-ish. I will try to offer as much context as possible, so you understand the little phrases and words that Naveen, Louisa, and James are saying. If there's anything that's unclear, feel free to let me know!_

 _ _Please favorite and review! As always, if there's something you want to read, let me know in the reviews!__

* * *

 _ **4\. Louisa and Louis**_

Holding her father's hand tightly, Louisa toddled beside him, each step hesitant. She looked up at Naveen, and his face was calm and cheerful as always and he happily swung his ukulele by his side. As they neared the stage of Tiana's Palace, Louisa grasped her father's hand more tightly; she then held on with both hands with a death-like grip. He did not seem to notice; on the contrary, his always-present smile grew bigger with every step.

" _Papá_ ," Louisa said finally. " _Papá_!" Pulling on his hand, she felt tears welling in her eyes, and her lips began to tremble.

Naveen stopped and looked down at her, eyebrows raised in concern. "Oh, _prutta_ ," he said, immediately getting down on one knee to be eye-level with her. "What's wrong?" He wiped a tear away with his thumb.

"I don't want to go near the stage," she whimpered. "I want Mama." Her light brown eyes were turning red from her tears.

"We are almost there, _mia prutta_ ," her father replied. "I will talk to Louis and then we will find Mama. _Sí_?"

She looked at him in panic. "No, I want her _now_ ," she said, tears running down her face. "I don't want to go near the stage! No! No, no, _NO_!"

A few of the restaurant patrons sitting nearby turned in their chairs and frowned at Louisa and Naveen. One even attempted to flag down a waiter.

"Shhhh, _prutta_ ," Naveen said, picking his daughter up and hurrying into the kitchen. She cried nearly the whole way while Naveen rubbed her back and whispered to her in Maldonian. Once they were in the kitchen, she finally quieted and was merely sniffling. As Naveen put Louisa down on the only clean counter, all the chefs looked up from their work and one of them rushed over with some napkins. Thanking him, Naveen wiped at his daughter's face. "Blow," he instructed with the napkin over her nose. She did as he said then he finished cleaning her up.

"What's going on?" Tiana asked, rushing over. "Baby, are you okay?" Hugging Louisa, she petted her daughter's dark brown, curly hair and kissed the little girl's forehead.

"She didn't want to come with me to the stage," Naveen explained as he tucked his ukulele under his arm. "She said she wanted you." He leaned in and whispered into Tiana's ear, "She started crying and some of the guests looked upset."

"Oh, honey," Tiana said, placing her hands on either side of Louisa's face. "Why don't you want to go to the stage with _Papá_? Hmm?"

"I don't wanna," she replied, hanging on to Tiana's apron. "Can I stay here with you instead? Or go back upstairs to grandma and James? Just don't let _Papá_ take me to the scary crocodile!"

Shocked, Tiana and Naveen's jaws slightly dropped. They looked at each other, uncertain how to approach this. Naveen held Tiana's hand, and she squeezed it.

" _Prutta_ ," Naveen began, "Louis is a friendly alligator."

"He's a friend of ours, honey," Tiana added. "We promise he won't hurt ya. He just wants to play his trumpet so everyone can enjoy his music."

"He's scary!" she exclaimed. "He has sharp, scary teeth!" To illustrate her point, she bared her teeth and pointed at them. She sniffled again and clutched her mother's arm.

"Louis would not even hurt a fly, _prutta_ ," Naveen said. "He really is not scary. He is very nice!"

"He's _grandanzo, Papá_ ," she responded, raising her hands above her head.

Naveen sighed. She certainly was her mother's daughter. Like Tiana, she was incredibly stubborn, and he knew they could keep going back and forth like this all night.

Cupping her daughter's cheek, Tiana said, "Honey, did your _papá_ and I tell you about our adventures in the bayou?" Her daughter shook her head. " _Papá_ and I met because we were both...lost in the bayou. That's where we met Louis. We also thought he was going to hurt us, but he surprised us by playing his trumpet instead! We told him we were lost, and he agreed to help us out of the bayou."

"He _helped_ you?" she asked, surprised.

Naveen winced. "Well...he tried. He has a very bad sense of direction."

This made Louisa giggle. "Sounds like you, _Papá_."

"Hey!"

Tiana placed a comforting hand on her husband's arm. "You're named after him, you know," she said to her daughter. "That's how important he is to us."

"Really?" Louisa asked, a sliver of a smile emerging on her face. "Can...can I meet him now?"

Smiling, Tiana cupped her daughter's cheek. "You sure you don't wanna go upstairs and go to bed?" she joked.

With wide eyes, Louisa nodded. "I'm sure!" Tiana chuckled.

"Come on," Naveen said, picking his daughter up. "Let us go meet Louis, huh? You can watch me play the ukulele with the band."

Louisa clapped. "Yay!"

"Would you like to join us, love?" Naveen asked. Offering his free arm to Tiana, he smiled charmingly at his wife and winked.

Chuckling, Tiana took his arm and said, "Of course, but you know that doesn't work on me."

"You said yes, didn't you?" he asked as he kicked open the kitchen doors.

She sighed and laughed again. "That I did."

"Louis!" Naveen called to the boisterous alligator on the stage.

Energetically playing the trumpet, Louis beckoned Naveen over with his tail.

"Are you okay, _prutta_?" Naveen asked Louisa. She nodded but tightly wrapped her arms around his neck. As he swiftly walked over to Louis, he kissed his daughter's head.

Once they reached the band, Naveen handed Louisa to Tiana and leapt onto the stage. The band members cheered excitedly. He held a hand out to Tiana. Clutching Louisa tighter, Tiana allowed herself and her daughter to be pulled on stage. As Naveen strummed on his ukulele to get a feel for the band's tempo, Tiana took Louisa's hands and began dancing with her. Louis, still playing his trumpet, joined them. To Tiana and Naveen's relief, Louisa giggled. Louis stuck his tail and motioned towards the little girl.

"Go on," Tiana said, taking Naveen's hand and twirling into him.

Louisa looked up at Louis. He smiled and danced around her, still sticking his tail out encouragingly. Feeling brave, Louisa jumped onto his tail. Louis leaned forward, and, giggling the whole way, the little girl slid up the alligator's spine. When she reached his neck, Louis grabbed her ankles and securely placed her on his shoulders. Louisa laughed.

" _Papá_ , Mama, look!" Louisa called.

"Be careful, my friend," Naveen said to Louis as he played his ukulele. "That is precious cargo right there."

Louis took his trumpet out of his mouth and seemed to say something to Louisa's father, but she couldn't understand him.

Naveen's jaw dropped, offended by his friend's comments. He exclaimed, "Yes, she is mine!"

Louis spoke again; Louisa watched curiously as the alligator made noises and her father seemed to comprehend every word.

"Of course she is not a frog. Do not be silly," her father responded. Her mother laughed.

"Stop it, you two," she said, also seemingly able to understand Louis. The song finished and the band called for a break. Naveen, Tiana, and Louis, with Louisa still on his shoulders, walked off the stage.

"Louis, you know we had a daughter," Tiana said. "You met her when she was a baby. But then you went away on tour. You've been gone quite some time; we actually have another one, a boy, upstairs." Louis said something to Tiana, and she replied, "Yes, well, she's usually in bed by now—that's why James isn't here—but Naveen wanted her to watch him play." She looked up at her daughter. "Did you like watching _Papá_ play?"

Louisa nodded but still had a confused and concerned expression on her face.

" _Prutta_ , is everything okay?" Naveen asked.

Tiana held her arms out to her. "Do you want me to take you, baby cakes?"

Louisa shook her head. "Mama, _Papá_ ," she said slowly, "how do you understand what Louis is saying?"

Louis looked up at her; his mouth moved and noises came out, but she still couldn't make anything out. She stared back at him blankly.

As Naveen wrapped his arm around her, Tiana said, "I guess our gift—talkin' to animals and all—isn't genetic." She placed a comforting hand on Louis's. "It's okay, Louis." Looking up at Louisa, she said, "Honey, your _papá_ and I can talk to animals, like Louis."

"How?" Louisa asked.

"Ah," Naveen began hesitantly, "it was... _magic_."

"Magic!" Louisa exclaimed in awe. " _Ashidanza_!"

Smiling, Tiana said, "Yes, baby—magic. Don't let anybody tell you magic—like wishin' on stars—ain't real." She leaned into Naveen and said, "That's how your _papá_ and I found each other."

He looked into her eyes lovingly and kissed her forehead. "It is true."

Louis looked up at Louisa, grinned, and nodded. She smiled back, and he seemed to laugh in response. Lifting a hand to her, Louis plucked her off his shoulders and returned the little girl to her parents.

"Did you have fun?" Naveen asked his daughter.

She nodded vigorously. " _Sí_ , _sí_!" Turning to Louis, she curtseyed and said, " _Grazie_!"

"Okay, baby cakes, I think it's time for you to go to bed," Tiana said, kissing her daughter's forehead.

Giggling, Louisa hugged one of Louis's legs. As she walked away with her father, she looked over her shoulder at the alligator, who winked at her, and waved goodbye.


	5. Kids

_**Author's Note** : Hi everyone! I really hope you enjoy this next story! Please leave a review and let me know what other one-shots you want to see!_

* * *

 _ **5\. Kids**_

A little girl.

Naveen was absolutely beside himself with joy. He had a daughter! _Ashidanza_!

Rocking her in his arms as Tiana slept in their bedroom, Naveen whispered to his daughter in Maldonian. He and Tiana agreed that it was important for their children to learn about their royal heritage, so they would raise their children bilingual.

As Naveen spoke to her, the baby reached up and tried to grab his nose. When he leaned back and out of reach, her lips trembled and she began to wail.

" _Faldi faldonza_!" he exclaimed. He had been a father for less than twenty-four hours and he had already messed up. "Sorry, _prutta_ ," he said frantically, brushing his nose against her hand. "Here, you can have it. I am sorry. Do not cry!"

"You're already spoilin' her?" Tiana asked as she entered the room. "She's got you wrapped 'round her finger."

Startled, Naveen jumped slightly. "My love, you should be resting."

"It's okay," she replied. "Here, give her to me." Taking the baby from her husband, she gently rocked their daughter, who immediately quieted.

Stunned, Naveen looked at his wife with wide eyes. She never ceased to amaze him. "How...?"

Smiling, she said, "A mother's touch—it's a gift."

"Yes, well, my fatherly instincts were good as well," he said, wiping the sweat off his forehead with the back of his hand. He stood up straight with his shoulders back in a very regal, authoritative fashion. "I had everything under control, and I am certain that I would have gotten her to stop crying. But I appreciate you speeding up the process."

Looking down at their daughter as she rocked her, Tiana said, "You don't have to be good at everything."

He sighed and his shoulders dropped. Sinking into the couch, he said, "I know, but I am not good at much. I should be good at this. I want to be a good father—I _should_ be a good father. That is what you and our little Louisa Evangeline deserve. My days of being useless and irresponsible are behind me. I _need_ to be good at this, so our daughter has the best life possible." Putting his head in his hands, he sighed again and said, " _Faldi faldonza_ , I _cannot_ mess this up."

Naveen felt a gentle hand on his shoulder and looked up to see his wife smiling down at him.

"This is how I know you'll be the best father to our children," she said, kissing the top of his head. "I know you'll do whatever it takes to make sure our kids are happy and healthy."

Feeling more confident, he smirked and said, "You said 'kids.'" Jumping up, he continued, "You said ' _kids_ '! _Ashidanza_! You want more children!" He beamed from ear to ear and his amber eyes sparkled with excitement.

"Now I never said that explicitly," Tiana said, immediately getting defensive. She wagged a finger at him. "I am saying...just in case we have more in the future...not that we will for certain..."

"Oh, my wonderful wife, I did not think I could be happier," he said, "but you did it." He kissed her full on the lips with Louisa nearly squished between them. Naveen immediately pulled away when he felt her little fist punch him in the ribs. " _Faldi faldonza_!" he exclaimed, attending to her. After kissing her forehead repeatedly, he said quickly, "Sorry, _bambina_. Sorry, sorry, sorry."

She merely giggled in response and grabbed his nose. Tiana watched on, enjoying the two interact.

"Oh, my little _prutta_ ," he whispered, " _grazie mille_ for forgiving your silly _papá_. I was just excited that _Mamá_ agreed to give you siblings!" Tiana sighed, but Naveen continued: "She wanted only one child because she is very busy with her restaurant. You will see it very soon—it is _molto bellozo_. And there is music and dancing and..." Tiana giggled at her husband's ramblings; he stopped himself and said, "That is beside the point. What is important is that _Mamá_ has agreed to give you siblings! Is that not exciting? But do not worry. _Mamá_ and I will not love you any less."

Smiling, Tiana said to their daughter, "That's right. _IF_ we have more children, your daddy and I won't love you any less."

" _When_ ," Naveen corrected with a mischievous, smoldering grin.

Tiana shook her head. "Your daddy thinks he's so charmin', but he's not," she whispered to her daughter, who seemed disinterested in her parents' teasing and busied herself with drumming on her father's nose. Naveen attempted to look offended, but he just looked ridiculous with his daughter's hands on his face.

Giggling, Tiana said, "This is definitely _your_ daughter, drummin' away."

Naveen scrunched up his nose. "Her rhythm is off." Looking down at her, he shook his head and said, "I have much to teach you," he smirked at his wife, "and your future siblings."


End file.
